Where's Hanatamago?
by FrostForever
Summary: Finland can't seem to find Hanatamago! Where did she go? Hopefully, Finland will find her soon...
1. She's Gone

Finland was looking at his list. The green marker made a small check mark next to the seven year old French girl's name. He had scarcely used his red marker. The small x's scattered pretentiously across the list. He hated marking people naughty. Were they truly naughty or just misunderstood? Surely if one child was naughty one day they couldn't be naughty the next...right? Or maybe the child is just in a bad mood. Finland decided to take a break. He had been at this for a few hours now and it was beginning to become tedious. Finland's hand scooted next to him to stroke the fluffy fur of his companion, Hamatamago. He was surprised to find the small dog missing. Hadn't he been here a few minutes ago? Or was that just Finland's imagination? Finland stood up, "Hanatamago! Hana! Come here girl!"

Finland waited a while. Nothing. Usually after calling her name his companion's feet could be heard pitter pattering across the wooden floor. Only silence came to greet Finland. The Finnish man looked around the room. Was Hanatamago sleeping? There was no sign of her inside the room, so Finland left. "Hana?" Was she chasing a cat or something? No. She was smaller than some of the cats. She was scared of most of them. Oh...Hanatamago was just so cute! Maybe Mr. Sweden had just taught her hide n seek! Finland wandered the house checking room to room for his dog. He wasn't worried. Hadn't he just said how small Hanatamago was? He was probably just sleeping in some strange place. Finland passed the dining room to see Norway reading a book at the table. The books dark blue matched the Norwegian's coat. His eyes were completely focused as they ran through the pages.

Finland stopped himself in the open doorway, "Hei Norway! Have you seen Hana anywhere? I've been looking for him everywhere and I can't seem to find him."

Norway slid his white bookmark into the blue book closing it, "I haven't. I'm sorry. I can help you look."

"W-Well I mean...you're sort of in the middle of something. I don't want to bother you. Just tell me if you see her, okay?" Finland asked. He really didn't want to trouble anyone over this. Norway was really nice for offering, though!

Norway stood despite what seemed like Finland's protests, "It's no trouble. Come on let's look. Where was the last place you saw him?"

"Um...," Finland thought a while, "In my room!"

Norway nodded and Finland led him back to his room. The two searched for the small dog. Once they were positive that she wasn't in the room they left to look at the rest of the house. Finland refrained from saying that he had already searched the places they were looking. After about an hour or two, the nations returned to the dining room. They had searched what seemed like everywhere in the house. Under beds, in bathtubs, cupboards, rooms, under desks, closets, even inside laundry baskets. Finland began to get a little worried. He wasn't hysterical, but he was still worried that he had lost his little fury friend. He didn't want to think of Hanatamago being lost. Alone. Cold. Starving. Thirsty...

Norway looked up at Finland reading him like he had read his book. Finland was sporting a frown, something he rarely wore. Norway began to speak,"Hey...you shouldn't worry. We'll find her. Maybe Denmark took her for a walk or maybe Iceland-"

"That's it!" Finland said instantly replacing his frown with a smile. Norway looked at him confused. Finland continued, "Hana must be outside! We haven't checked there yet!" They hadn't checked there yet. Outside. Finland felt silly. Why didn't he think of that sooner? He so happy and excited! He was going to have Hanatamago with him again! Finland ran to the door to the backyard as Norway hurried behind him. Sure enough, the dog door was open.

Finland threw open the door, "Hana!" No response. Finland called again. Once again no response. Finland waited a few minutes, hoping his little friend would come to him. Nothing. His smile turned to a small frown. Where is Hanatamago? Norway caught up to Finland, looking for the small dog outside. The yard was empty save for the grass and little bit of concrete. There was no sign of Hanatamago. Finland stood looking down at the ground. He was starting to feel...depressed. Where was he? It was all Finland could think about. Norway continued to look, not knowing what to say to Finland. Maybe they could look for him tomorrow?

Sudden fear crept into Finland's heart. When he had first gotten the small puppy, Denmark had given the dog a nickname. The name ran through his head like a nightmare. Wolf Bait. Finland shook his head. No. Hana was alright. Nothing got her or hurt her. Wouldn't there be...Finland couldn't bring himself to think about it. Calm down, Finny, he told himself, she's alright. She's hiding. Yeah! That's it! Just hi-

"Uh...Finland?" Norway said in a sort of sad tone of voice interrupting Finland's thoughts. That did not sound good. Finland got the courage to look behind him at Norway. The other blond nation was pointing to the ground. A small hole was dug into the ground under the fence...just small enough for a little dog to get through...Hanatamago wouldn't leave him...would she?

Norway knelt to untangle the small collar that was caught on the metal fence.

Apparently...she would.


	2. Hot Cocoa and Afrikan Tahti

"WAKE UP, SLEEPY HEAD!" Denmark's voice boomed throughout Finland's room, "Come on! Get up!" Denmark pulled open the Finnish boy's dark blue curtains.

Finland sat up tiredly. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night...or any sleep at all really. Every time he had tried to sleep he would think Hana. At first, the image comforted him. The fluffy face with those adorable deep brown eyes made Finland feel safe and happy. But then...then Hanatamago would start to fade away. Her fur, along with the rest of her, began to slowly turn transparent. Finland had tried to reach out for his companion, but every time he tried, Hana would get farther and farther away from him until tears began to well in the corners of his eyes. He would wake up crying, muffling his mouth so that he wouldn't be a bother and wake the other Nordics. He really didn't want them to worry.

Finland rubbed his eyes and yawned. He glanced over at the clock. 10:18. Had he really slept in that late? He shook off the question and looked over at Denmark. The older nation was already dressed; Finland squinted to look at him. The sunlight was so bright, but Finland did not shy away. Instead, he put on a fake smile and greeted the other nation.

"Hei Denmark! Um...if you don't mind me asking...why are you in here?" Finland questioned curiously. I hope that didn't come off as mean or rude...Finland thought.

"What do you mean? ...OOOOOOh! Right! Yeah yeah I got ya. I'm in your room, huh?" Denmark cleared his thought and put on a wide grin as he stood proud, "I'm here to help you!"

"Help me with what?" asked Finland. He had a pretty good idea of what Denmark was going to say, but waited for the other Scandinavians response.

"Cheer you up, of course!" Denmark declared happily. That hadn't been the response Finland had expected and the surprise made him smile. "So! Wake up and get dressed because I've got a great day planned especially for you! Meet me downstairs when you're ready." Finland nodded his smile now genuine and sincere instead of fake. Wow...Denmark was being really nice. Well...Norway could have put him up to this, but that was okay! Everyone was being so nice to him...

Finland changed into his light blue clothes. He remembered to put on his hat and laced up his black boots. He placed a hand on the doorknob prepared to see what Denmark had planned, when he stopped himself. He had forgotten to feed Hana! He turned around happily only to see an already untouched full bowl. He frowned at the memory and sighed. He really should be looking for Hanatamago...he would tell Denmark that he was excited to spend the day with him, but he needed to find Hana first.

Finland made his way downstairs. Denmark was waiting at the bottom of the stairway, as promised. He threw a small box to Finland, who barely caught it. Finland inspected the small white and red checkered box in his hands. He allowed a slight smile. Salmiakki.

"Kiitos, Denmark!" Finland said plastering yet another fake smile in his face,"...but..."

"But?" Denmark asked raising an eyebrow in question.

"But...," Finland fiddled nervously with his fingers, "I should really be looking for Hanatamago..."

Denmark didn't respond for a while. He looked at Finland sympathetically before he realized what he was doing. He cursed under his breathe and looked back up at Finland confidently, "The others are looking for her."

"Others?" Finland asked. Why did it take Denmark so long to respond? He was lying...wasn't he? Finland sighed and waited to see how Denmark would respond.

"Yeah! Norge, Ice, and Sweden!" Denmark said. Finland just continued to smile and nod. He placed some salmiakki in his mouth. Its flavor radiated throughout his mouth, salty and yet sweet. He held his arm out offering some to Denmark. Denmark grimaced,"Uh...yeah...no thanks...come on let's go outside! There are tons of things I planned for us to do outdoors!"

Finland hurried next to the taller nation. He did like being outside...this would be fun and if the others were searching, than this couldn't be bad at all. It would take his mind off cloudy sad thoughts and place them somewhere happy instead.

Denmark opened the door with a grin on his face to reveal harsh snow beating down against the earth. At first, Finland was really happy. He loved the snow! This was going to be fun! Sure it did look a little cold...and rough...and dangerous, but he had been in-

Denmark shut the door interrupting Finland's thoughts, "Yuck. No way am I freezing to death out there. It is gonna be a horrible blizzard in a few hours or something...sorry, Finny. There are lots of things we can do inside though."

Finland frowned. Frozen? To death? Blizzard? And how much bigger and stronger was Denmark compared to Hana again? He had hoped the others had found her...that way they could all come back and things could go back to normal.

"Hey...," Denmark let out, "You alright?"

Finland nodded.

The other nation gave him a look that said I don't believe you.

Finland nodded again and forced his smile.

Denmark sighed, "Wanna watch a movie until I can think of something better to do?"

Finland nodded, "I can make hot cocoa if you would like!"

"That'd be great! Meet me back in the living room with the goods when you're done!"

And so he did. Finland sat on the couch next to Denmark, handing him his hot cocoa. "Tak," Denmark had responded and he pressed 'play' as they began to watch the movie. Well...more Denmark watched and Finland zoned out thinking about Hanatamago. He had tried to focus on the movie...he really had! But...pointless explosions and gunfire wasn't all that appealing to Finland. Plus, the movie was in Danish. Finland's Danish was very good, but there were still a few words and phrases that hadn't quiet clicked and whenever someone would say something he had to think about it. By the time he realized what the character had said, the next character had begun talking. So, Finland sat there respectfully sipping his cocoa and pretending to watch the movie.

When the film was over, Denmark turned to Finland, "That was awesome! Don't you think!"

Finland smiled and nodded politely trying to look as sincere as possible, but Denmark saw right through the Finnish boy's facade and decided to distract the smaller nation with something else. "Do you want to play a board game? Anything! It's your choice! We could play Hex, Cthulhu Mythosor, Mahjong, or BezerWizzer or-"

"Can we play Afrikan tähti?" Finland asked timidly.

"Sure! Whatever you like!"

Within a few minutes the game was set up. The board with the picture of Africa was set on the coffee table. The yellow cards and fake money were set to one side of the board. Finland had chosen his game piece as the blue safari hat while Denmark had chosen the red one. Denmark let Finland go first, insisting upon it. Finland rolled the dice smiling.

Halfway through the game, Finland was laughing and joking around with Denmark. He loved this game so much! It was really fun! Denmark had succeeded in his mission. As Finland picked up a yellow card, Denmark couldn't help but let a triumphant smile appear on his face. He had done it. He turned the sad, lonely stranger back into that jolly Finnish boy they all knew and loved. Finland finished his turn and handed Denmark the dice. He accepted it, rolled, and moved the red hat five spaces. He picked up a yellow card and began to read it silently to himself.

"What does it say?" Finland asked curiously.

"Uh...," Denmark slowly translated the Finnish words to his understanding, "Wrestle a lion. Get €150."

Finland looked at Denmark in amazement, a faint playful smile on his lips, "You really did that? Was it scary?"

Denmark laughed and played along, "Terrifying." He moved his hand to collect the colorful money when the door creaked open. Norway was the first to enter, followed by Iceland and finally Sweden. Both Sweden and Norway kept their faces expressionless, but Iceland looked over at Denmark and Finland for a second before dropping his gaze to the floor. So...they actually had been looking...

"Sooooooo!" Denmark let out half-stalling the apparent bad news and attempting to lighten the mood. They were undoing all of his hard work. "Any luck? Well! Knowing you all there must be good news! Even the slightest amount of good news. Right, guys?" Denmark tried to imply that they should tell the smallest amount of joyful news. Even if they had to lie to get it.

Norway was the one that stepped forward, "Unfortunately, no. We searched all over Scandinavia for hours and could not find a trace of her."

Denmark stood up and walked over to the Norwegian, "Norge! Why the hell did you tell him that!"

Norway simply shrugged, "I am not going to lie. I'm sorry, Finland." All four nations were looking down on him now. They all had a sort of sympathetic look, even Sweden seemed to soften. Nowhere in Scandinavia? Nowhere? At all? Then Hanatamago must have crossed the Black Sea! Yes! Either that or...or...Finland held back tears. He looked up to see all eyes on him. He smiled back at them. A fake, meaningless, wry smile, meant to pass as a pathetic excuse for a positive attitude.

The others could see through this easily. How long had they been together? Centuries now, wasn't it? Through times of war and times of joy. They had seen each other kill and seen each other grieve over lost rulers, generals, and human friends. Finland had been helped by them so many times...it seemed unfair to him. He had to solve his own problems this time, but he felt so sad and miserable without Hana to do anything about it! The smile remained, beginning to show how fake it really was.

"Fin...are you okay? You know we-," Denmark began.

Finland cut him off, "Thank you for everything you've done. All of you. I'll help you all look for her tomorrow, okay? Thanks again...it really means a lot to me." He stood, smile beginning to twitch at the corners of his mouth as he struggled to keep it remaining. Not one of them believed the smile was real for a second and Finland could tell, yet he tried to keep up the act hoping it might somehow convince them. "I-I'm tired...," Finland lied, "And I really should get ready for Christmas..."

The others didn't move and Finland silently and awkwardly moved between them, heading up to the stairway. Once he was in his room, Finland locked the door. He did not allow one tear to drop. He did not allow his smile to fade. He only sat on his bed in a strange dazed state focusing soully on not crying. Because he knew that if he began to cry, that would mean he would accept that she was gone. And he wasn't ready to give up...at least not yet.


	3. Tall Dog Small Dog

"Thank you for doing this with me...," Finland began breaking the silence between the two traveling nations,"...Iceland."

"Hm?" Iceland looked up from his book,"Yeah. No problem. If anything were to happen to Mr. Puffin than I would want people to help me, too."

Finland gave a small smile, "Then I promise to help you if he ever goes missing."

Iceland smiled, giving Finland a small nod of approval before turning his attention back to his book. Finland looked outside the train's window. The green German countryside was just coming into view.

It was Iceland that knocked on the German man's door. Not that Finland was scared of Germany, not at all! Germany and Finland had been good friends for years now! It was the prospect of doubt that had made Finland want to leave. Thank the old gods Iceland was there to make to make sure they stayed.

The wait for Germany to answer the door seemed like hours, when in reality it was only a few seconds. _He won't know_, Finland thought to himself, _What if he's busy? I shouldn't be disturbing him..._

Just then the tall blonde nation opened the door, "Hallo? Oh...hey Finland...it is strange to see you here on such short notice..."

"I-I," Finland stammered. Why was he stammering? He hadn't been intimidated by Germany before...what was wrong with him?

"We would like to take a look at your kettle," Iceland said bluntly not realizing his mistake.

"Mein kettle?" the German asked giving Finland a confused look.

"Y-Yes...w-well...no. What Iceland means to say is kennel...I...I lost Hana recently...and I thought maybe...," Finland trailed off.

"He thought maybe you had mistaken her for one of your dogs," Iceland finished for his friend.

"Oh...vell I don't believe I have any small dogs, but you can check if you like," Germany said opening up his door more and gesturing for the other nations to come in.

"Thank you," Finland let out almost silently as he stepped into Germany's clean house.

Germany nodded in response to Finland, "Zis vay..." The taller blonde led the two Scandinavian nations through the house and to a sliding glass door facing his backyard. Germany picked up his silver whistle from around his neck, ready to use it. He opened the sliding door.

Outside was a large field full of luscious green grass. There was a small obstacle course on the right, probably used for training Italy when he came to visit. On the left, was an elaborate-looking doghouse.

The doghouse was built by hand by Germany and made of dark brown wood. There were five different compartments for each of Germany's companions. The compartments appeared roomy and were as tall as a toolshed. Above each of the different compartments, a name was whittled into the wood. _Blackie, Berlitz, Aster, Dulcie and Greta..._Finland read to himself and couldn't help but picture the name Hanatamago immediately following the rest of the names.

Three of the dogs, Aster the Golden Retriever, Berlitz the Doberman, and Dulcie the Dalmatian, were all playing with one another. A black short-haired German Shepard, appropriately named Blackie was sleeping in its compartment. Before Germany could blow his whistle, a young Dalmatian, Dulcie's puppy, Greta jumped up on Germany. The dog's paws positioned themselves on him as if she was dancing with him.

"Nach unten," Germany commanded with a softer tone than Finland would have expected. The puppy only wagged her tail and looked back at him with sweet chocolate eyes. Germany sighed and pushed her gently to the ground, he then proceeded to blow his whistle.

In hearing the command, the dogs' ears perked up. The sleeping one woke and each dog filed into its respective kennel, even the seemingly disobedient pup.

"Zese are ze dogs I have...I did not take note on gaining anozer...," Germany told Finland, who only nodded in response. Iceland stepped forward and inspected each kennel, searching for Hanatamago's small features and bright white fur.

Finland couldn't help but feel like a fool as he stood next to Germany watching Iceland. Five dogs. Germany only had **five** dogs. Although a lot in quantity, Finland had hoped there were more...had hoped it was possible that maybe Germany had accidently taken Hana in with his taller dogs...No. That was not the case at all. Finland's hands shut tightly around Hanatamago's small collar. He looked up at Germany and wondered if he had ever lost one of his dogs. Surely, the answer was no...he had trained them so well, as the German had displayed to him and Ice with the whistle trick. Germany looked down at him and he quickly diverted his gaze to the ground.

"So...how long has she been missing?," Germany asked attempting to spark a conversation from the usually personable nation.

"Not long...it's nothing to worry about...I just thought..."

"If it is nothing to vorry about vould you have traveled here from halfvay across Europe?"

That made Finland grow quieter than he already was. Germany was about to attempt to cheer up the fellow blonde somehow when Iceland came back shaking his head at Finland. Finland nodded sadly and turned to leave. He opened the glass sliding door and made his way through the house quickly.

Iceland had caught up only by the time Finland was at the door. Germany caught up as well, but was greeted by Finland saying his seemingly rehearsed words, "Thank you for letting us into your home...I greatly appreciate it. Goodbye."

"V-Vait a moment...you just got here. You can stay longer if you like...I don't mind if you stay in mien house a few more days. I'm sure Italy vould be happy to have guests," Germany replied hospitably.

Finland shook his head before Iceland could say anything, "Thank you, but no...I only have one responsibility at the moment, and that is finding Hana."


	4. That Night In Helsinki

The snow lightly fell like raindrops, blanketing Helsinki in pure white layer of frost. The stars were just beginning to peer out of the twilight sky that seemed a mixture between violet and ebony. Finland pulled his light blue scarf closer around him to shield himself from the cold. _Almost done…_he thought he thought to himself, placing his last "Lost Dog" poster up. He wondered what his boss, Sauli Niinistö, would think of this when he woke up the next morning to find his capitol scattered with posters. Finland quickly forgot his concern with his boss and finished taping the poster against the lamp post.

Finland's dark brown eyes met up with that of the picture of his missing companion. His gloved hand reached out for the picture of and rested on Hana's tiny body. He subconsciously began to stroke the picture as if she was there when tears started to well in his eyes, even though he had thought it was impossible to cry any more than he already had. He struggled, but forced his hand away. _No…_he thought to himself, _it's not really her…this will only make you feel worse….and…remind you that she's…th-that she's…_ Finland broke off the thought. _**Gone…**_, a small voice inside him almost yelled.

The tears had made their way down the Finnish boy's cheeks. He let his head drop into his hands as he began softly sobbing as to not draw attention to himself…but that was not the case. Soon, footsteps were heard behind him and a deep familiar voice sounded from that direction. "I am done now…," the voice paused looking over the situation, "Are you alright?"

Finland turned, wiping the tears from his eyes as he tried to force himself to stop crying, facing Sweden. Finland simply nodded, knowing that if he would say anything it would only result in tears and jumbled up words. The cold mixed with the tears on his cheeks he had failed to wipe away and they began to sting. Sweden looked down unintentionally glaring at the shorter nation, "I miss her too."

"Y-Y-You d-d-," before Finland could continue with his stammered question, the Swedish man had wrapped his arms around him, bringing Finland into a hug as Sweden looked right on ahead.

Finland, shocked by this sudden display of affection, could only mutter out one word, "Wh-Why…?"

"I need to comfort my wife," Sweden said with a blank expression and monotone voice as he continued to hold Finland against him.

"I-I'm n-not your….," Finland stopped himself, too tired to argue, and let himself cuddle against the taller nation's chest.

Yes. He was tired. Tired of all this. Tired of the pain. Tired of the guilt. Tired of inconveniencing everyone...Finland closed his eyes. But now...against Sweden…he felt so…so….warm…He began to feel safe, bundled up against the taller nation. Everything had just been so….stressful without Hana….just everything. Sadness had engulfed him like a vortex. He felt like he was trapped in quicksand, sinking, screaming for help, but no one would listen…then again it's hard to hear if you mask your screams of terror with that of joy….still…no one would listen….until now. When he was wrapped in the arms of the man he loved. Finland allowed himself to close his eyes. The difficult journey was far from over, but it felt good to take a detour, even for just a few seconds. Finland sniffled once more. The sound brought him back to his senses…and he realized something…He had stopped crying.

"Are you feeling better? ," Sweden asked looking down at the other blonde.

Fin nodded and quickly put his arms around the other nation's torso, "But…I d-don't want you to let go…"

Sweden nodded a bit shocked, though it did not play out on his face, "If you do not wish me to, then I will not."

"Kiitos," Finland said as he continued to hold and be held by Sweden. Neither of the two could tell how long they stood there, but the streetlights had turned on and the snow had begun to fall harder when they heard Denmark's voice in the distance.

"Hey! There ya two are! We finished puttin' up the posters in-," Denmark broke off as Norway pulled him back by the collar of his jacket, "Hey! What was that for!"

"I believe they are having a moment…," Iceland said on his brother's behalf. Norway nodded.

"A mome-hey! Norge, why can't we have moments like that! ," Denmark asked.

"Because you're loud, obnoxious, inconsiderate, self-absorbed, and assh-," Norway began.

Denmark cut him off,"Alright alright! Geez…I didn't want a list…"

"We should leave…meet them back at the house?," Iceland suggested. Norway nodded again, and the two brothers began to walk away when they heard Denmark's voice echoing through the city.

"WOOH! SWEDEN! GET SOME! , " Denmark yelled and whistled. Norway turned around and slapped Denmark. Both Finland and Sweden let go of each other and turned their attention to Denmark who was on the floor laughing.

Iceland looked down at Denmark, "Den….if Sweden kills you in your sleep tonight….none of us will blame him…"

Norway smiled and his brother's comment and Finland felt the need to smile a little bit, too. There was so much love and laughter around him. Too much to make him embarrassed. He felt…happy and joyous. Accepted and…and for the rest of the night….that ONE night….he would let himself be….himself…carefree and excited…for the first time in days.


	5. Hope From A Small Boy

Despite his efforts to stay positive, the following day, the pain had returned. Finland was about ready to break, he couldn't help it, and all his friends could tell. Every time he smiled that trembling "happy" grin, the more clear the hidden pain became. Even if that was the opposite of his intention, Finland would never have wanted his friends to be saddened because of him; his face continued to betray him.  
A few days had passed and still there was no word on the whereabouts of Hana. It had seemed as though Finland had given up. He had locked himself in his room and refused to come out, hoping and praying that his friends would simply dismiss it. He had stopped eating which wouldn't kill him; he was a country, but he could still feel hunger and only wished his citizens didn't feel it with him in tandem. Despite his friend's constantly encouraging words through the door, the young nation's muffled sobs would continue to emanate through the white wooden entrance. Although Finland had seemed to have given up, his friends were determined to find that fluffy white friend and raise Finland's spirit.  
Every night, the four nations would go out searching for Hana for hours. They asked their own friends, from people as low as farmers to as high as their bosses, and countries they have known since practically forever to those they would rather forget. They had to find her. It became more than just about finding a dog. It came down to rescuing their companion. And the more they searched, the more they found themselves missing Hana. Longing to see those big deep-set brown eyes and that stubby, constantly wagging white tail. They wanted...no...they needed to find her. And they needed to find her soon.

Finland trembled under the heavy blue and white blankets as he sat up, tears drenching his cheeks and sleeve which he occasionally used to wipe away the salty substance. In truth, he felt as though he was over-reacting to this, he did, but he couldn't help himself. No matter how hard he tried to cheer himself up, nothing he said would work. The only thing that could help was Hana...and she was long gone. Either all alone in the cold, winter snow, locked up in some pound, or...or..._dead_. That induced a fresh batch of tears. She couldn't be, but...what else? What facts argued against those notions? Nothing.  
_ I-It's my fault..._,he thought,_ I should have kept a better watch on her...I should have played with her more...I should have taken her on more walks...I should have...I should have..._  
His thoughts broke off and he yelled,"It's all my fault!"  
In this instant of realization, Finland looked up and through the blur of his tears and spotted a silver metal glittering in the darkness, lit by moonlight streaming through the white shutters. He threw the covers off himself and made his way to his desk where he had been wrapping Christmas presents. Next to a red and white wrapped box with black ribbon, a pair of silver scissors with blue handles sat. Finland hesitated only a few seconds before picking up the scissors. He inspected them a moment, twirling them in his trembling hands, judging the sharpness of the steel. He then returned to sit on the bed.  
_ It's all my fault...it's all my fault...and I should be punished for it_, he thought as his heart began to race. He removed his blue jacket and turned his hand to look at his forearm. Hesitantly, he placed the blade against his pale skin. He quickly withdrew and found that no mark was left, so...he placed the blade there again. Half his mind telling him to push harder, the other half telling him to drop the scissors, he paused, not daring to move.  
He could not say how long he sat there like that. Minutes, seconds, hours all seemed jumbled together as he sat with the blade lightly pressed against his skin.  
He was suddenly broken from his trance as he jumped and dropped the scissors at the sound of a knock at his door and the sound of Denmark's voice,"Hey, Fin...you've been in there a while...dontchya think it's time to come out?"  
There was a long silence as tears poured out of Finland's brown eyes, staring down at the scissors. Oh God, what did I almost do? He heart had seemed to stop and a sense of a mixture of both guilt and relief swept over him. He fell back against the bed in silent contemplation over what had happened.  
In the apparent silence, Denmark sighed,"...take your time, Fin." He made his way down the stairs and looked at his other companions. They were all sitting on the couch in silence. Even Mr. Puffin kept his mouth shut of any remarks. When Denmark entered the room, they all turned their heads to look at him. Denmark forced a small comforting smile, but it was only transient before the Dane shook his head.  
"...should we go look more?," Iceland asked quietly trying to think of a solution, like the rest of them.  
Denmark shook his head and took a seat across from his companions,"I honestly don't see any point..."  
"What do you mean?," Norway asked, a hint of shock in his voice.  
"You know very well what I mean," Denmark replied solemnly,"She's gone, Norway...she's gone and you know it...we all know it..."  
"You can't give up so easily!," Norway yelled shocked at Denmark's words,"I thought you of all people would keep trying!"  
"I'm not giving up, Norway," Denmark said calmly,"I'm just facing the truth...I thought you of all people would have seen that..."  
"Don't you dare throw my own words back at me!," Norway yelled and stood. Iceland lifted a hand, but quickly withdrew, deciding not to contribute to the fray.  
Denmark stood as well,"Hey! I'm at least tr-"  
"Both of you, stop it," Sweden said, causing both nations to stop arguing,"fighting is not going to solve anything in this situation. If we want to find a solution we need to put our heads together and think. My wife's life is at stake here and I will not allow you two to jeopardize it."  
Both Denmark and Norway sat down. The room was plunged into silence. The only sound was the soft, quiet, muffled sobs of Finland, wafting from his room, down the stairs, and into the living room. They all were thinking, but not one could focus on a plan without their minds drifting to the terrible conclusion that maybe they wouldn't find Hana and maybe they would never see Finland's cheery, happy-go-lucky smile ever again. Amongst the midst of this thought, a knock was heard at the door.  
The four countries looked at each other in question, wondering who it could be. Sweden stood without a word and answered the large brown wooden door. Once the door was opened, the tall stoic nation received a hug from a young blonde boy.  
"Hello, everyone!," Sealand cheerfully exclaimed.  
"What are you doing here, Sealand?," Sweden asked, not one hint of surprise visible on his face as he allowed the young nation to embrace him.  
Sealand let go of Sweden and looked up at him,"Mother said we could go fly kites today!"  
The mood in the room was instantly brought down.  
"So...he doesn't know?," Iceland asked in the solemn silence, echoing the thoughts of the other three Nordics.  
That gave Denmark an idea. He sprang to his feet with new vigor and made his way to Sealand. He got on one knee to match eye level with the shorter nation and placed both hands on Sealand's shoulders.  
"Sealand...," Denmark began carefully,"Do you know where Hana is?"


End file.
